What is cider before it is cider? Answer: apples And what was the wagon road before it was a wagon road? Answer: a buffalo trail Constance and Jack and their mama and papa are playing a riddle game that stretches from morning to night, and as they stir up one riddle after another, young readers will delight in puzzling out answers that illuminate the details of daily life for a family of settlers living on the frontier. What was this book before it was a book?You can kindle a riddle, too!"What is a wagon road before it's a wagon road? A buffalo trail, long and deep. . . ." So begin the pioneer riddles that Constance and Papa and then Mama and Jack, too spin into a day-long guessing game of common sense and fun. And once the riddles start, they crackle and pop like kindling aflame. Roberta Karim's fascinating portrait of early American life is illustrated with paintings brimming with energy and authenticity by Bethanne Andersen and includes historical background notes on the facts behind the riddles.Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council fo SS & Child. Book Council